Washington, D.C.,
December 26, 2007 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
published the report entitled “Access to Justice as a Guarantee of
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: A Review of the Standards Adopted
by the Inter-American System of Human Rights.”

The Commission
prepared this report as a contribution to help advance the guarantee of
economic, social and cultural rights in the region. The IACHR
understands that access to justice is an essential component to
guarantee that economic, social and cultural rights can be enjoyed. It
also believes that access to adequate judicial remedies can help to
enhance the institutional framework for social services and policies in
the region and to strengthen systems for oversight, transparency and
accountability, as well as mechanisms for participation and oversight of
public policies in this area.

Accordingly, the
report explains the obligations of the States with respect to four core
issues: 1) the obligation to remove economic obstacles to ensure access
to the courts; 2) the components of due process of law in administrative
proceedings concerning social rights; 3) the components of due process
of law in judicial proceedings concerning social rights; and 4) the
components of effective judicial protection of individual and collective
social rights.

The report also
provides a conceptual framework for the preparation of progress
indicators on this issue. On June 6, 2006, the OAS General Assembly
charged the IACHR with preparing such indicators in order to assess
progress the States have made in complying with the Additional Protocol
to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, known as the “Protocol of San Salvador.”

The complete report
is available on the IACHR Web site in English and Spanish.